Rutland homicide victim was the homeowner

RUTLAND — The Worcester district attorney has confirmed that David J. Alan, 59, is the person who was killed inside his home at 124 East County Road.

His body was found Saturday morning by police who were called to check on a possible missing person at the address.

Meanwhile, Rutland police using social media have said the killing does "not appear to be a random act."

"There is no immediate danger to the community," says a statement on the Rutland Police Department's Facebook page.

Police were back at 124 East County Road on Monday, using a state police dog on the property and marking areas of the backyard with small flags.

Police have not said how Mr. Alan died, but a neighbor said he was told the scene was "gory."

Mr. Alan was quiet and had posted his property with signs reading "No Trespassing" and "Keep Out." Neighbors said they really didn't know him and that the house was often in darkness save for a back outside light.

The office of District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. released the victim's identity Monday afternoon and said the investigation is continuing.

Police were called, though it is unclear by whom, to the home at the corner of Wachusett Street and East County Road about 10:45 a.m. Saturday by someone reporting a "possible missing person."

Shortly after Officer John Foster arrived, he requested that Rutland Police Detective Troy Chauvin come to the home. Detective Chauvin arrived and asked a dispatcher to have a state police dog brought to the residence. He also requested that two cellphone numbers be "pinged" to allow police to locate the phones, the police log shows.

Neighbors said police were coming and going from the home throughout the afternoon on Saturday, closing Wachusett Street for hours and stringing yellow crime scene tape in front of the house where a man they rarely saw lived alone.

On Sunday, a state police crime lab van was parked at the scene and detectives carried bags from the house and put them into vehicles.

Late Sunday afternoon, a news release from the DA confirmed that there had been a homicide at the address.

Records list the home's owner as David Alan, 59.

One neighbor said state police asked her about any activity she might have seen around Mr. Alan's house. She said she believed Mr. Alan, whose parents are deceased, had lived there for at least two decades.

"Nobody seems to know anything," said another neighbor, Cheryl Cadrin. "It is really scary. I hope they get to the bottom of it."

She said the house was always "very quiet," to the extent that she sometimes wondered if there was anybody living there.

The area near 124 East County Road is quiet, except for some speeding cars along that stretch near Wachusett Street. A police log shows the road is often patrolled and police perform "property checks" at homes and businesses.

Mr. Alan's address showed up 18 times in the police log for 2009. There was a report of a breaking and entering complaint during which police noted "no police service necessary."

There were house checks and a report of a larceny as well. In 2010, police went to the home six times for burglar alarms and other less serious matters.

On the house and in the windows are signs warning trespassers to keep out.

The last police call before Saturday was on Jan. 10, 2012, when an officer was requested. The log does not list details of the calls, but most did not appear to require anything more than a "services rendered" note from responding officers.

On Thursday night, police were called to the neighborhood to check on a suspicious pickup truck seen pulling in and out of driveways and which eventually headed down Route 68 toward Hubbardston. Police couldn't locate the truck, according to the log.

The next day, Christopher Doray, who lives a few houses away from Mr. Alan, reported his $4,000 dirt bike had been stolen.

In December, police found 53-year-old Diane Lamarche-Leader dead after a fire at her home at 2 Joanna Drive. Her death was ruled a homicide and two men have been charged in connection with that case.

Almost three years ago, state and local police were investigating the slaying of Francis Spokis, a 52-year-old Worcester businessman stabbed to death at his home at 120 Wachusett St. home in Rutland. A woman who said she was involved with Mr. Spokis was charged in that death, and her boyfriend was convicted of the crime. The woman is awaiting trial.

Police said the killing happened after the pair tried to rob Mr. Spokis.

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